Finding Freedom
by slytherensangel26
Summary: Once upon a time, a pure blooded witch fell in love with a half blood wizard. Then the arranged marriage of the witch tore them apart forever, or so they thought. What happens when the lovely witch comes back from the dead and brings her children to Hogwarts? Read on to find out!
1. The Arranged Marriage

**Hey everyone. Yeah, I know, I'm posting a new story. I've been kind of sitting on this fic for a while and in an effort to get my creative juices flowing again, I decided to go ahead and post this.**

 **I've thrown out the conventional rule book on this one and so this is an AU fic. It features a non death eater Snape and he doesn't really hate Harry this time around, he's still got plenty of snark and sarcasm but none of the hatred for Lily's son. There will be a few non canon pairings too as i wanted to explore some of the less popular pairings.**

 **This fic contains some sensitive subject matter and language and drama. It also has a brief mention of alcoholism. (This very brief mention of Snape's drunken father was the reason it took three times to get it posted on the other Harry Potter Fan Fiction Archive.. *rolls eyes* )**

 **However, all of you loyal readers should know by now exactly what to expect from my fics. Still just to please the site admin, I'll go ahead and post the usual disclaimer:**

 **Disclaimer: The is a work of pure fiction, and I don't have any ties to JK Rowling. It is written for the enjoyment of fellow Harry Potter fans and to the betterment of the writer. Not a single Knutt or Penny is being made from this work of fiction.**

 **Alright, now get on with it. See you at the bottom!**

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June 1977

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

It was the day before graduation, and classes were out for the year. Four friends sat under the big trees sharing a basket of goodies, courtesy of the school elves. Their final year of magical schooling was completed and that is what they were celebrating.

Severus took a long swig from his icy butter beer, enjoying its crisp goodness. Across from him sat Lily Evans and her best friend, Audrey Fey Lynn. Next to Severus sat Rory Dawson; Audrey's cousin who had come to their school after the brutal killings of his parents.

Rory had come to Hogwarts a sturdy boy with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes that had been full of fear and suffered from horrible night terrors. His half-blood status didn't sit well with the Fey Lynn family and so they had flatly refused to take in the boy. He'd felt rejected and showed it in his temper and that had landed him the top spot on the list for detentions. He'd had no place to go, so he became a year round student at Hogwarts.

It was at the start of the next year that a small miracle happened. Regina Dawson, a very kind student from Hufflepuff befriended him and though he tried hard to scare her off, she saw through him and became even more determined to win his friendship. She was a patient listener and when the day came that his internal dam broke and he told her everything, she took it all in and held him when he cried. After that day, they'd been very close friends.

It was that friendship that paved the way for Audrey, Severus and Lily to accept both into their group of friends. They were the only circle of friends to include members from each house. Lily from Gryffindor, Severus and Rory from Slytherin, Regina from Hufflepuff and Audrey from Ravenclaw. It didn't even take two years for them to become tight-knit circle of friends.

Though the members of their houses gave them grief for 'fraternizing with the enemy', they stayed close and took up for each other when they got into tight spots. Working together, their grades improved and Rory became one of the happiest students in school.

It was just after the end of 5th year, that he realized that if not for Regina, he'd have been expelled by then. That knowledge caused him to be most devoted to the sweet Hufflepuff. Regina drank it all in and also came to the realization that in seeking out his friendship, she'd gained his heart instead, and when he asked her out, she whole-heartedly accepted.

And now, there they sat two years later, a very close knit circle of friends that now sat contemplating the newest conundrum.

Audrey's arranged marriage.

"It's final, Sev." Audrey told him in resignation. "My parents sent out the invitations for the wedding already. We all knew this was going to happen. I've been betrothed to Nathaniel since birth. They've given me no wiggle room to speak of and in a month I'll be the new Lady Jensen."

Severus sighed. "It's bullocks! You've scored so high across the board. All that potions knowledge and you won't be able to do anything with it, except to brew cold and cough remedies for the bastard's heir."

Audrey sighed again and she gave a small smile. "Yes, but I'll brew the best damned cold and cough medicines in all of England."

They all knew that she was trying to lighten the situation, but it wasn't very effective, if there's one thing that the Ravenclaw girl hated worse than the Marauders, it was tears and somber situations. That and the marriage she had no choice but to give into. She was a pure-blood and the Jensen's wanted an heir...and her parents wanted the connections their union would give them. Audrey's obedience would give them both what they wanted. Only Audrey would suffer from this marriage. Not that either family gave a damn.

"Lily, what are your plans for after graduation?" Audrey asked trying to change the subject.

At that, Lily brightened up. "James and I are getting married in a few months, his parents gave him the keys to one of their properties."

Rory groaned at that. "I still can't believe you agreed to marry that tosser. Surely, there are better guys out there for you; it's not like you're beholden to pure blood traditions."

Lily couldn't help but smile. "I know, but you have to admit that he's changed and for the better, I made them promise to leave you guys alone and they have. Haven't they?"

The Marauders leaving the friends alone was just one of the promises she'd extracted from James. The others included that she could talk to Severus and the others whenever she wanted.

The poor besotted Gryffindor had been desperate to win her approval and had readily agreed to all her demands. Make no mistake, she'd fallen for him as hard as he had for her. She was no martyr, but she was very cunning. And before she gave herself to the role of being James's dutiful arm candy wife, she made sure that Severus wouldn't have to suffer from the antics of the school's resident trouble-makers.

"Yes Lily, but I told you that there was no need to sacrifice yourself for my sake."

Audrey snorted in a manner unbecoming a lady. "It's hardly a sacrifice, Sev. Lily may be modest, but it wasn't me that was caught behind the curtains of the 5th floor corridor last night." She couldn't suppress the teasing grin she shot the pretty red head. "You got lucky that Professor Slughorn was too buzzed from his celebratory drinking to do anything other than issue a warning."

"Ugh, please, I don't want to know what you and Potter were up to last night, I don't need that imagery in my head." Rory groaned as he took another sip from his drink. He was the only student never had to worry about the Marauders. They didn't dare mess with him

It was discovered during his second year at the school that he had some psychic potential. He'd yet to have any visions, but he always seemed to know when the Marauders had set a prank for him and was always at least one step ahead of them. It irritated Sirius to no end, and even James had given up eventually and had moved onto other targets.

Severus stole a look at Audrey as she bit into her chocolate eclair. Though he and Lily had been best friends since the day at the park where they'd met, it had been the sweet brown haired girl with hazel eyes and long eyelashes that had captured his heart.

Too bad she was getting married.

"What about you Rory?" Audrey asked.

"Regina and I are going backpacking to the Americas. We've always wanted to visit the continent and this is the perfect opportunity. It's just too bad that we missed Woodstock."

Audrey snickered. "Yeah, you missed that one by ten years."

Rory shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find something to do." He paused and looked at his friend curiously. "Hey Sev, you're being quiet. Now that you're free of schooling, what are you going to do?"

"Unlike you miscreants I enjoy school. Professor Slughorn has pulled some strings and I'll be studying at St. Magnus' Potioniers academy next fall. This summer, I'll be working at Slugg and Jiggers to save up money."

"You won't even take a vacation?" Audrey asked.

"No one to take it with, nor do I even have the money. My old man took every last penny to the grave with him. Filthy Bastard. I put up with his abuse all my life and I don't even get two nickels to rub together. The bank took everything except the house."

Audrey took her hand in his. "But at least you're free."

Severus could only nod.

* * *

 **Later That Night**

Severus sat down on his bed and spared a gaze at his trunk. It was the only thing he owned besides his school clothes and dress robes that were new. The rest of his belongings were rather ragged. Lilly and Regina had clubbed together to purchase the dress robes for him as a Christmas gift last year. It was the one thing he'd cherish most. Tobias had squandered any extra money on his drinking habit and if not for his friends help, he'd be walking the stage in his school robes. All his other clothes had been bought at second hand shops. They're weren't nearly as nice as the other student's clothing, but with Audrey's help, she'd had them looking like new and in some cases had even used some magic to make them look just like the newest styles. He never could express in words how this helped him hold his head up high.

So he'd kissed her. It had been brief and they'd both been breathless. Sadly, they'd been ratted out by someone and the next morning, she'd told him in a hollow voice about her arranged marriage. Both she and Severus had been heart-broken. He'd often wondered since then, how their lives would be different had she not been beholden to those stupid purebred traditions. He'd come to really hate her parents.

Sighing softly, he gave the trunk one last look and began to disrobe.

Just as he pulled his shirt over his head, an owl came pecking on his window. He smiled sadly, walked over to the window, and pushed out the pane. Audrey's owl, Hepburn flew in and landed on his arm.

It held a missive in his beak.

Severus sighed, this wasn't the first message from the girl who held his heart, but he knew it would be the last. With a heavy heart, he walked over to his desk and pulled the last owl treat from the bag. He softly approached the owl andtook the missive, trading it for the owl treat.

He watched as the owl flew out the window for the last time.

Once he closed the pane, he picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a single sheet of parchment and to his surprise a lock of her hair tied in a silver ribbon.

He sat back on his bed and opened the missive. It read:

Sev,

I wish more than ever to be able to say these words in person, but I just can't form them without breaking down in tears.

I love you, more than you can imagine. You have no idea how much I wish things were different. I wish we could have run away together, seen the world and even gone with Rory and Regina to see the world. More than anything, it's you I wanted to give myself too. Not that flake I'm about to marry.

Sadly, we can't change anything; whether or not I like it, I'm going to be a married woman soon.

I may never set my eyes on you again, but I want you to promise me that you'll seek out the love and happiness that has been denied me. Find a witch that loves you more than I do and then settle down with a family of your own. It's my own way of living vicariously through you.

No, don't roll your eyes. I'm pretty groovy myself, but I'm not the only groovy witch out there. Your match is out there somewhere, you just got to get out of the potions lab long enough to find her.

Like I said, I wanted to give myself to you, but since I can't, I wanted you to have a part of me.

Find happiness Sev.

All my love,

Audrey

Severus Snape shook his head as he tucked the letter and lock of hair safely in to the envelope and then put them into his trunk,

It just wasn't possible. There was no witch for him but Audrey. And she would never be his.

As he lay in bed minutes later he thought once more of his witch.

I love you too Audrey.

Then he fell asleep.

Three years later

The house was in flames, the supposedly dead Audrey held her daughter close to her. She pulled her cloak around the both of them and looked at the house one last time. Then she wordlessly cast a spell on the both of them, disappearing into the night and then apperated to Muggle London where Rory and Regina waited for her.

They both embraced mother and daughter. "We're on scheduale sweetie, Regina told her gently. We'll get you to America and get you settled in. It's going to fine."

"I miss my son already. I know he'll be okay with Nathaniel, but how can a mother leave her baby boy like that?"

Rory gave her a sad smile. "We'll periodically check in on them, and send you word…or we could do what I suggested first and contact Severus…"

"No, you know I have to make our death believable. I even had to sacrifice my wand just to gain my freedom. Just promise me that you'll keep an eye on my son, at least send me letters to tell me how he does?"

"Ok, we'll do what we can." Regina promised handing her a small suitcase and diaper bag. This is everything you're going to need for the trip. The cruise ship will leave in an hour, lets go.

The Next Evening

Severus' hands shook as his horrified eyes scanned the latest issue of the Daily Prophet.

His love was dead! She'd perished in a potion's accident. The aurors were blaming inferior ingredients and were calling it an accident. Strangely the husband wasn't suing anyone…

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat back in the chair. This was all too much for him to handle. If the death of Lily wasn't bad enough, now he'd lost someone else he cared about. Lily had been a dear friend…but Audrey was someone he loved desperately.

He stared dubiously at the Wizarding News Paper and then hurled it into the fire.

Part of him seriously doubted the accuracy of the report. His Audrey was his potions rival in school and yet she'd died from a potions accident blamed on inferior ingredients.

That was the only part that was plausible. She was great at potions but her prowess when it came to Herbology left something to be desired.

Severus shook his head and sat forward in the chair and stared into the fire. "Audrey...wherever you are: Be safe and come back to me someday. I love you."

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 **So, what do you think of this? Let me know in your reviews!**


	2. The Return To England

**July 15, 1995**

 **15 years later**

 **Godric's Hollow**

It was just near dusk in the sleepy town of Godric's Hollow. Through the streets of this little town strode a group of people in everyday muggle clothing. At the front of the group was a woman who wore a black leather duster over her black clothing. Her well-worn in boots tapped softly on the ground as she led the rest of the group down the main road to a quiet cemetery.

The younger girl who was just 15 watched her mother with curious eyes. She was the spitting image of her mother and wore a long sleeved black shirt and black jeans over a pair of lace up boots. Where her mother wore her hair up in a very elegant bun, she wore her hair in a French braid that hung down her back and under the duster that she'd been given for the previous Christmas. This was her 15th year; soon she would begin the journey for which she'd been looking forward to since she was old enough to enjoy the feel of wind rushing through her hair. But for now, she strode behind her mother, wide-eyed as they approached the wrought ironed gates leading into hallowed ground.

Next to her on either side were her younger brothers. One of them, who was just turning 11 years old, walked next to her. The other boy, who was just turning 8 walked a little closer to her, and held onto her hand with a grip that made her hand ache the slightest bit. However, she took her role as a big sister seriously and so didn't do or say anything to make him let go of her hand.

"Uncle Rory, What are we doing here? I thought mom said we were going to visit her old friends."

"Well, she is visiting some old friends, Crispin. Lilly Potter was a very dear friend of ours and was part of our circle of friends at Hogwarts. Sadly when they died, your mother wasn't allowed to attend the funeral. Her husband at the time forbid her. The last time we saw them, was on the Hogwarts Express on the way back to King's Cross Station. We shared final few sweets before your mother was taken back home and was married shortly after." He paused and looked across the way as his cousin stopped walking and stood stock still in front of a pair of grave stones.

"This, here, right now is the first time she's been near them in 15 years."

"Does this have to do with those stupid pureblood rules?" The girl, Josephine asked in a softer voice.

"Yes, sweetheart." Regina answered putting an arm around her niece's shoulders. "It's been this way since even before the founding of Hogwarts. Lilly was a muggle born and James was a blood traitor." At Jo's confused look, she clarified. "A pureblooded wizard who married a muggle born. James didn't care very much for the rules once he really and truly fell in love with Lily. From what I hear, the parents weren't too happy about the marriage, but they loved their son very much and gave into his pleas."

"Not as if that was anything new. That boy was spoiled rotten; they never refused him anything." Rory replied to his wife in a derisive tone.

Regina scowled at him. "It's not polite to speak of the dead, not even James Potter."

"It's not an insult if I speak the truth. I think even the illustrious prince of Gryffindor would agree with me. Even though I will give him this; he did tone it down once he married Lily."

They paused when they heard a soft sob coming from the direction of the final resting place.

"Lily you have no idea how I've missed you. I may have left England, but now I'm back. I know I never really gave James the time of day, but I'm going to honor the sacrifice you both made to save your boy. I swear that I will do everything I can to look after him. You were the best friend a girl could ask for. I will see you again one day." With those words said, she laid the bouquet of flowers she carried on the gravestone. She gave them a little bow of respect and then turned, heading back out and towards her family.

Rory and Regina enveloped their cousin in a big hug and the kids soon joined in. When the moment was over, they broke apart and then the oldest spoke softly.

"What's next, Mom?"

"I've rented a room just outside of Diagon Alley for the night. We'll go there and then tomorrow, we'll all need to shop for clothes and things of that nature. Then we'll need to see about getting you guys registered for school."

"Hogwarts? Crispin asked.

Their mother, Cassandra Van Halen smiled at her son and ruffled his hair. "Yes, you should be getting your letter any day now."

"Mom, how come I never got a letter?" Jo asked.

"Well that's because we were in the states, Dear. Only European witches and wizards get invited to Hogwarts. However, now that we are back in the mother country, we'll get you into Hogwarts as well. You'll be a little bit behind in your classes, but we have all summer to at least get you caught up. That's why we left so soon after school ended. We have a lot to do to get settled into our new lives.

With those words, she turned and led the group out past the outskirts of town where a trio of motorcycles sat with a glamour on them. With the helmets on, and the safety charms cast, the engines were fired up. With a final look at the sleepy village, they rode off into the setting sun, heading back to London.

 **Hogwarts**

 **Headmaster Dumbledore's office**

"Come again?" Severus asked in confusion.

"You heard me right, Severus. My hands are tied in this. Fudge has become very paranoid after the incident last year during the tournament. Under Secretary Deloris Umbridge will be the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher."

"But that woman is a politician, not a professor. What would she know about teaching students?"

"Not a damn thing!" Minerva exclaimed as she stormed through the door. "She's an evil woman, I would sooner feed myself to the Loch Ness monster than to stand by and let that harpy teach my students! You cannot be serious about letting her through these gates!"

"Unfortunately, Minerva, we have no choice. Fudge has become incredibly paranoid and he's resorted to attacking both myself and Mr. Potter smearing us all over the Daily Prophet. You cannot allow that rivalry between you and Umbridge to cloud your judgment or fuel your anger."

"That ship left harbor years ago! She's the lowest kind of monster imaginable, a dirty hussy and once more, she does all her evil with a smile on her face and the horrible giggle of hers. I'll not stand for it!"

Albus turned to her. Calm yourself Minerva! It's been 40 years since that incident. You've got to let it go!"

"Not a chance Albus!" Minerva said in a hiss that surprised the potions master. "She put a curse on my beau, stole him from my side on the eve of our wedding and then a week later he's found floating face up in the English Channel!"

By now electricity was all but shooting off her in sparks. Severus took a few more steps back from her.

The old wizard looked at her sympathetically. "Yes, Minerva, I remember." He sighed, walked to his desk and sat behind it. "For now, at least, we need to put that aside and figure out how we're going to protect the students. Rumor has reached my ears that Fudge fears that I mean to take his job. It doesn't make any sense to me as I've got quite a cushy job as headmaster and it's one I quite enjoy. I don't know what he'll do once he's got his foot in the door here. He may even go as far as having me thrown out of here."

The stoic potions professor looked up at him sharply. "But Headmaster, if that happens and she's truly the devil, than the students-"

"Will be more vulnerable." The Oldman finished for him.

"And Mr. Potter might be in even more danger than usual." Severus stated looking even more stone faced. "I can't let that happen." He all but whispered to himself. He looked over at Minerva who gave him a subtle nod.

"As you may have guessed, I cannot have any part of whatever plans you guys come up with. Severus, I'd like you to obliterate this meeting from my memory. If the worst should happen, and he does take me out of the picture-"

"Yes, Headmaster," Severus said as he drew his wand and pointed it at the headmaster.

When the spell had been cast, and Albus looked at them with a blank face, Severus put his wand away. "Yes, Headmaster, we shall have our curriculum for this year on your desk by the end of the week for you to approve."

Dumbledore shook himself. "Very good Severus; I shall see you at the meeting next week. Minerva? Is everything quite alright? You look troubled."

Minerva shook her head at him in disgust. "Oh yes, Albus. Everything is fine. I shall see you later!" Then she gave him a look of distain before turning on her heel and storming out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Severus watched her leave before turning to the ancient wizard. "I shall be off then, Headmaster. Have a pleasant evening." Then he quietly walked out of the office.

Very rarely had he seen his former professor display such rage. The last time being when that moron Lockheart had been hired to teach defense. Make no mistake, he'd been more than a little irritated and longed to toss the fraud off the nearest cliff and from that moment on, he'd learned to heed his colleague. If the Scottish woman believed that ministry woman to be evil, then he believed her and it was time to prepare for trouble.

All the years in between the time he'd graduated Hogwarts till now, he'd lived a quiet life. Though Malfoy and all his followers had tried their hardest to recruit him into their 'club', he'd flatly refused. He believed them all to be nothing more than bullies or maybe even the wizard version of the Nazi regime. He'd never fallen for the ploy and joined up.

Instead, he'd spent his time studying, and of course mourning the loss of the one witch he'd never gotten over. Pure-bloods were the very cause of his pain, with all their rules and regulations. Why would he ever want to have anything to do with them? The last day of school had also been his first day as a new man. The first step had been to go to the ministry and change his name back to Prince. He'd sold the house (it had really been the only thing the heathen muggle had left him) and used the money to rent a flat close to Slugg and Jiggers. Now, all this time later, He was quite happy and settled into his life.

Just as he reached the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, he saw McGonnagal pacing the hallway.

"Minerva?"

The older witch stopped pacing. "Severus, we need to talk."

"Indeed Madame, come with me."

Once they were safely in his quarters, Severus Prince waited for the older woman to sit down before he seated himself. Once they were both comfortable, he snapped his fingers and instantly, Winky was standing before him. She looked much better than she had at the beginning of the summer. She now wore an elf sized tunic with an old fashioned looking coat of arms in the center. After the disaster the year before, he'd done something he'd never expected to do. He'd bound her to himself the year before. It had been the only way to save her as he found the small creature on more than one occasion drunk stupid.

Winky had brightened up immediately, belonging to someone again. And had taken it upon herself to be the best house elf ever. Since that day, he'd never had to worry about Dumbledore's interference or his regular trick of gleaning information from the house elves. Winky had become very defensive of him and had never spoken of anything but how wonderful her master was.

"What can Winky do for you, Master?"

"I would like some tea for myself and Madame McGonnagal."

At that, Winky bowed to both witch and wizard, before popping out of the room. Moment's later, she returned with the tea tray,

When she'd gone, Severus turned to Minerva.

"I'm assuming you have some idea of what we may do to protect our students?"

The older witch nodded.

"My biggest concern is Potter. He's always excelled at getting into trouble. If that loathsome harpy targets him, he'll never be able to keep his mouth shut. He's a teenager first of all but also he gets enough verbal abuse from those horrid relatives of his. I shudder to think of what punishments that bitch will dole out on him if he should get a detention from her."

Severus gave her a dark look. "What sort of things do you think she'll do to him?"

Minerva sighed and pulled up her sleeve, revealing some old scars. "This was before your time, but these marks on my arm are from a blood quill. Back during my school years, the teachers didn't have any sort of prescribed guidelines when it came to disciplining troubling students. This came from one of the detentions I got from my defense against the dark arts professors. He was related to Umbridge somehow, but I was made to write lines with such instruments and it was particularly painful and the marks never faded after the 5oth line. Even though I used the most powerful potion I could find in hopes of ridding myself of the scars, they've yet to fade. I believe the quills to be cursed. I never went sleeveless again, not even when it was in fashion. Even my dearest love, genius that he was couldn't find a cure for it. If this woman owns such instruments, she'll not hesitate to use it on Harry."

Severus frowned and ever so gently touched his finger tips to the scars. He gave his fellow teacher a grim look. I think perhaps the biggest problem is that as Fudge's lapdog, she's got every kind of political power and influence. Even if we catch her in the act of harming Harry or any of the students, she can hide behind his robes. We'll need to be very cunning to-"

"-We expose her to the public. Collect proof that she's harming the students. The only people more powerful than the Minister for Magic are the parents and the wizarding world. Public opinion when turned against him would make him change his tune quite dramatically."

Severus nodded. "I think I have a few connections that might help us out."

Minerva gave him a small smile. And just how are the Dawson's these days?"

Once Minerva left, Severus turned back to the hearth. In the very center of it, beside the picture of his mother, was a group picture taken by Lily on that final day of school. It was a muggle picture so it didn't move, but it was a beautiful picture all the same.

Despite her insistence, he'd never been able to search out a wife. He loved Audrey and no one else. How could he even think about bedding another woman when that beautiful witch had cast a spell on his heart? She owned him, even in death. No, he could never be with another. If that meant he'd spend the rest of his days alone, then so be it. At the very least, he'd have a clear conscience.

No doubt that he'd felt the ache in his heart more than once, especially when he got the wedding announcement from Rory and Regina. The wedding hadn't come as a surprise, for they'd taken part in another American tradition and had gotten married while in Las Vegas. Regina's parents had not been thrilled, but alas nothing could be done about it. Both were of age, and though they'd been made to go through a traditional wedding upon their return, they'd succeeded in getting married on their own terms.

It was something that his beloved had been denied. She'd been married to that pure blooded bastard and had died a year later under mysterious circumstances.

All these years, in the deepest part of him, he'd held some hope that his beloved still lived. He'd tried once to visit the scene of her death to try and find some part of her that had not been destroyed, but he'd been caught by her widower and asked politely to leave. He'd gone without further incident, but also had left much denied. He'd not found out a single thing.

That night he'd gone so far as to ask the bloody baron if it was possible to find out if she'd in fact died; If her spirit still lingered. The ghost had done his best to search for her ghost, but to no avail.

And so, the Prince had resigned himself to a life time of never seeing her again. The only consolation was that her son whom had grown tall like his father had been sorted into his house.

He could remember the night the boy had been sorted into the house of snakes. He'd sat at the teachers table, watching with interest as the first years marched towards him. His breath had caught when the boy's eyes had met his own. He'd known that he was coming. His name had been on the class roster, but those eyes were just like his loves.

The boy had surprised him more than once. He had received more from Audrey than his eyes, he'd also gotten her aptitude for potions. He'd become as much a prodigy as his mother; it wouldn't surprise him if he soon applied to become his apprentice.

Audrey sat down in the comfortable plush chair she'd taken to carrying with her. Sure, it would have been nothing to simply transform one of the chairs that came with the room, but she simply loved the chair. But from the moment she'd seen it in the furniture store, she'd fallen in love with it. When she'd parted ways with her husband after catching him in their bed with another woman. Her daughter, this chair and the money he'd given her to get her started in her new life after she'd faked her death, was all she'd taken with her in her escape to America. She'd nursed all her children in this chair and she'd come to cherish it, not to mention that it had been the only memento from her time nursing her long lost son. The little baby she'd left with her ex-husband. No, this chair would never be replaced. Her last gift from him, was this last favor. The secret scandal died with her old self. No one would ever know he'd ever been unfaithful.

She'd died as Audrey Jensen, and now she lived as Cassandra Van Halen. Her daughter had died that night as well, as far as anyone knew. Cassy had changed her name as well. To everyone she was Josephine Van Halen. Or Jo.

Though she missed her first born son, whom she'd left behind all those years ago. Her life had been full. She'd gone to America, and there she'd met Thomas. He'd been a good partner and she did love him, but he was no Severus. She'd never married him, (the thought of marriage had left a bad taste in her mouth) She missed her first love all this time, but she'd wanted to give him a good shot with another woman, so she settled into a life with Thomas. He was a muggle but she'd still built a life with him.

He'd been part of a motor cycle gang and also owned a bike repair shop. As a result, she'd learned all about bikes and a year later had begun to build her own bike, under Thomas' watchful eye. It had run like a dream. And she'd rode out with him and the gang whenever she could. Once Jo was old enough, she'd built on a side car with a comfortable seat and she'd cast a shield charm on it, so should anything happen, her baby would be protected.

That had been the first time she'd ever used her magic since Audrey's death. On arriving in America, she'd hid her magical history and lived as a Muggle. The casting of the cushioning charm and the shield charm had been the only magic she'd ever cast until then. And that had all been done without a wand, she'd had to leave it behind, so that no one would question her faked death.

Life with him was good. They lived easily and had a care-free view of life. Whatever happened would happen and they didn't worry about it. They lived however they'd wanted too and that decision led to her becoming pregnant twice. Thomas had been just as overjoyed as she was. Her oldest son (not counting the one she'd left behind) Crispin had been born during the week of Halloween, and two years later, her other little boy, Noel had joined their small family.

Life had been good for them all, and they'd lived happily enough for 4 more years and then tragedy had hit their family. Thomas had gone on a trip with the gang and had been side blinded by a semi and had been utterly crushed, dying within an hour of being struck.

She'd mourned him for a long time and on the anniversary of his death, a friend of theirs, a lawyer who had ridden in the gang with them, handed her a letter. He explained to her that Tom had come to him after a harrowing dream and between the two of them had written a Will with the understanding that it was not to be given to her until a year after his death, should he die. She'd read the letter and realized that he'd given her space for a reason. The letter told her that it was time to move on. That though he loved her with all his might, he'd known that she was not his. That her heart belonged to the man she'd left behind.

He told her to go back to England and to her Severus. He'd given her a gift, she'd realized. He'd helped her heal and gave her two beautiful sons...and then with his death, he gave her freedom and the direction she should go.

And so, with Rory and Regina's help, they made their way back across the ocean to her homeland. Her beloved motorcycle was the only thing beside her children that she brought with her from America...and so that was what she had in this new life.

Her chair, her children and her motor cycle and a few days' worth of clothes. A trip to Diagon Alley would be made the next day, and she could hardly wait to buy her new wand.

Her children were her first priority...and then maybe, if Severus hadn't found anyone, she might try to win his heart again. Just maybe.

With those last thoughts, she crossed to her son's bed and gave them both a sweet kiss on the forehead before checking that they were safely tucked in. Then she crossed over to the other bed that she shared with her daughter, crawled between the covers and soon fell asleep.


	3. The Rediscovery

**I only have one brief note to make. I just want to reiterate that this fic is AU and not compliant with any of of the books in the HP series. Please take note of that!**

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor stepped out her door, all set to do some last minute shopping. She'd finally finished sending out grades to her students and now was ready to take the day off and spend it however she saw fit.

"Minerva, would you please come up to my office?" Minerva scowled at the ghostly phoenix and shook her head. _Well, there goes that idea. Whatever does that Daft Old Cabbage want now?_

She rolled her eyes but then turned, heading for the revolving stair case. When she arrived at the top, she saw the ancient wizard sitting behind his desk with all those annoying mechanical silver things upon it. She schooled her face and then calmly strode in.

"Yea called, Albus?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to interrupt your plans for today, but I have some last minute letters to go out.

"But, we sent the last of them off already."

"I'm aware of that, but these two names just showed up on the registry last night. They are from the same family as far as I can tell. They're currently staying at a muggle hotel just outside of London. They may be Muggleborn, and just arrived. I trust no one else but you to handle this."

Minerva sighed as he handed her the envelopes. "Very well, Dumbledore. I shall see that these are delivered." With a resigned sigh, she put them in the inner pocket of her cloak and then turned on her heel and walked out the door.

Cassandra yawned as she stepped out of the shower. There was much to do today and she had a feeling that her daughter had failed to get her brothers out of bed. After hastily dressing and putting her hair in a towel, she opened the door and looked at the room wide eyed. Her children were sitting on the couch with everything on except their shoes.

Well, not all of them. Jo yawned sleepily as she passed her mum and took the bathroom over. Though she was dressed, Cassy knew that it would be another 20 minutes before her daughter was ready. She only chuckled as she walked over to her dresser and picked up her brush.

As she did, she looked at her reflection in the big square mirror. She looked years older and already, time was marching across her face. Sighing she picked up her brush and began the wonderful chore of getting her hair untangled. Her eyes widened a moment later when suddenly her hair fell free of tangles and almost gleamed in the light. She spun around to see her son sitting there just as stunned as she was.

"Honey, what did you just do?"

"I don't know." the younger boy said. "I was just watching you brush your hair and wished that I could help you untangle it so it wouldn't upset you...and your hair's all straight now! I'm sorry if that wasn't supposed to happen."

Cassy chuckled and lifted her son up and hugged him tightly. "Oh Chris, it's okay. I've been waiting to see some sort of magic show up! I had a feeling it would soon."

Chris looked relieved. "So, I did something right?"

She grinned an nodded. "Thank you sweetheart. You've just saved me the trouble of brushing my hair, you smart wonderful boy!"

Noel looked up at them with slight jealousy. He wanted to make his mum look pretty too! He scrunched up his nose and wished hard for a pretty hair clip. Then, in the next moment, a glittering hair clip appeared in her hair. Cassandra spun around and looked at her son. She opened her mouth to question him about it when a loud pop was heard.

She all but dropped her son when a house elf appeared in their room. It looked around the room and then narrowed in on their mum.

"You stole from master's shop! If you won't give it back, you can buy it for 20 galleons!" Saying that, it held out its tiny hand.

Noel yelped and hid behind the couch, he'd never before seen any kind of creature like the one in the room. He watched in wonder as his mom stooped down to the creature's level. "I'm so very sorry. My son accidentally conjured it in a bout of accidental magic. I don't have any galleons with me, I've haven't had a chance to exchange my money at Gringotts yet."

The elf looked at her then. "If you has no money, I'll have the hair clip back now." saying this, he snapped his fingers and the clip disappeared from her hair and then the elf was gone.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Jo as she came out of the bathroom. It looks like a troll!"

Cassandra looked at her daughter with amusement. "No Honey that was a house elf. A troll is much, much bigger, and a lot more terrifying. That sweetie, was a house elf….or a shop elf. They are bound to rich wizarding families. Your brother wanted to give me a pretty clip for my hair and accidentally conjured it. However, one of the first rules of magic is that you can't simply conjure something out of nowhere. So when he summoned the clip it came from some store in Diagon Alley." Cassy sighed and walked over to where her son was hiding. "Come on out Sweetheart. The elf is gone."

"Mommy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to steal!" Noel sobbed as he appeared behind the couch.

Jo smirked softly as their mom gently lifted her brother into her lap. "It's okay son. I love that you wanted to do something so nice for me. What you did was something called accidental magic. It happens a lot so don't worry about it, you won't be in trouble for doing it, not until you've learned to control your magic."

Jo sat down on the chair her mother had brought with them. "So, wait a moment, your telling me that I could get in trouble for doing magic? Why aren't you in trouble?"

"Because in this world, every child has a tracer of sorts placed on them once they start showing signs of Magic. That tracer is on you from that moment till you reach your 17th birthday. That's when a witch or wizard is considered an adult. From then on, you're responsible for not doing magic in front of Muggles. The secret must be kept...that's the first law of our kind. Unless it's in self-defense, you can't do any kind of magic outside of Hogwarts. And even then, the wizard police will show up to find out why you broke the law."

Jo was about to ask more questions when there was a sudden knock on the door. Cassandra was the first to get up. She really doubted the Aurors would show up this time. She looked through the little hole in the door and relaxed when she saw it was merely Madame McGonagall. She wondered why her old teacher showed up here.

She was so bewildered that she opened the door without making sure her glamor was in place.

McGonagall looked just as surprised as she did. "Audrey? I thought ye were dead!"

"She's quite dead, but you're welcome to come in anyway."

When Minerva walked in, she looked about her with an amazed look...especially when she saw the children.

"I go by Cassandra Van Halen now. Audrey is long gone as well as her daughter that night." Cassie told the aging teacher. "These are my children; Josephine, Crispin and Noel." Then she addressed her kids. "Children, this is Madame McGonagall, she's the transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts and the head of Gryffindor house."

"Hello," they all answered her in respectful tones.

She smiled gently at all of them. "Hello children." Turning back to Cassandra, she said, "I have the children's school letters. With your permission, I'd like to hand them over."

"By all means, go ahead. I had planned to contact the school myself, but you have saved me the trouble."

Minerva turned back to the kids. "The headmaster gave these to me. Josephine and Chris, you are officially invited to attend Hogwarts. Inside you'll find a list of required school supplies. On September 1st, you'll need to be on the platform nine and three quarters."

"What about me?" asked Noel.

McGonagall didn't miss a beat. "And how old are you?"

"I'm 9 years old. I just did some magic earlier, why can't I go?"

The elder witch smiled at him. "Well, Mr. Van Halen, when you've turned 11, you'll get your letter as well. That should give you time to finish primary school. Then you'll be at school with us."

When Noel opened his mouth to protest, Minerva beat him to it. "Make no mistake about it, I'm a tough teacher and I give out loads of homework. Tis best ye enjoy your primary school time now before you get to my class room. Mark my words, you'll miss them later."

Noel's eyes went wide and he only nodded.

Cassandra was hiding a chuckle behind her hand. Her old school teacher wasn't lying, that was for sure!

When McGonagall winked at her son and then turned back to her she forced her face to relax. "There is something I would wish to discuss with you."

"But of course mi 'dear. Even though you're not my student anymore, I'm still available to help."

"Yes, well. I'm afraid I've not taught her enough magic to keep up with her school mates. When I was on the Continent, we lived like Muggles. I never really learned wandless magic, so she'll be at a disadvantage."

McGonagall gave her a serious look. "How old is she?"

"She's just turned 15, so that would make her a 5th year."

"Oh goodness, that will be an issue." The older woman thought hard for a moment. "We've not done it since your cousin came to Hogwarts. But we can tutor her for a few hours every night. We might be able to get her caught up by Christmas. I know Severus won't hesitate to help you."

Cassandra gasped softly in surprise. "He's a teacher? But I thought he was going to be a healer!"

"Aye, he did go to university, but he's been working for the school since 1985. He brews drafts for Madame Pomfrey at night. And by Merlin's starry robes, he brews better drafts then St. Mongo's"

Cassandra smiled softly. "That's not a surprise, he was my rival if you'll recall. I'm guessing he took up Professor Slughorn's class?"

"That he did, and he's been making student's cry ever since. He's also the head of Slytherin House."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "Has he now?"

At McGonagall's grin, she laughed. "Well, this should prove interesting. My girl's a tough cookie, and she's me through and through, she won't break easily."

Minerva favored the teenager with a smile. "Tis a good thing. Hogwarts is a fine school, but it is not without its dangers. Be sure to keep yer wits about ya." Saying this, she turned to her former student. "You'll need to create a glamor for both of you. Her twin, Edward, attends Hogwarts as well and the resemblance is uncanny. If you intend to keep this ruse of yours up, ye can't be lazy about anything."

"Wait, a second, you're saying I can chose to look however I want? Like a mask?" Jo blurted out.

"Like an instant makeover?"

Minerva grinned at her. "Yes, in this world ye can as long as the spell is done carefully. But you must also keep in mind that you need to look as though you resemble your mum if you want to fool the rest of the students."

She looked at her former student, "I'm assuming you've not forgotten how to cast it?"

Cassy shookher head. "No, I haven't forgotten it, though it'll have to wait till I can purchase a wand today. I sadly had to sacrifice it when Audrey died. Truthfully, I've never learned to cast a glamour charm without my wand. I've never really needed to cast one while I was in hiding.

"Aye, it's a sad thing to lose a wand, but if you like, I can cast a temporary glamour for the four of you."

Cassy shook her head. "No, just for me and Jo, my boys took more of their father's looks in than mine. They'll blend right in.

Minerva nodded and when she was done about ten minutes later, Jo got up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Before, she had auburn hair and green eyes, like her mothers. Now, with the help of the old lady from the school, she had bluish black hair and blue eyes. She grinned even further when the elderly witch gave her permanent eyeliner in a winged fashion. She seriously needed to learn this spell when she got that wand that she wanted so dearly!

Cassy, had gotten about the same makeover, though she didn't need help with the eyeliner. She too had gotten the same colored hair as her daughter and the same eyes. The tattoos her mother sported were still there. The most noticeable one of course was her bike tattoo. It was one she'd gotten after she officially became a member of the Spirit Riders, it wasn't the same one the men sported as hers was a more feminine flair and intermixed in it was three different colored orchids, but it was none the less beautiful and very striking against the skin of her back. When she was older, she hoped to have one just as beautiful-

"My goodness! That is quite the image on your back. Just what did you do when you fled England?

She turned around to see her mother regard the older witch with a smile.

"It's a very long and complicated story and some other time when there _is_ more time, I can regale you with the long version. But for now, suffice it to say that I joined an American Motorbike gang. The man who would become my partner was a high ranking member named Thomas. He took me in about 6 months after I arrived. Growing up in a pure blood family did me no favors in America when I had no skills that would help me hold down a job. I was able to do menial jobs here and there but nothing that would pay the rent. Then

Thomas came along and a few of the female members of the club helped me with things for my daughter and I started working in the mechanic shop as a secretary of sorts, answering their phones and scheduling appointments. I also helped the wife of one of the members by teaching her calligraphy. It helped her out in the tattoo shop as that was the one skill she struggled with. I eventually earned my way into the club and into Thomas' heart. We never married but we lived together. About a year after that, I began the rite that would allow me to become a fully-fledged member and began to build my own bike from the nuts and bolts up. When it was completed, I took my maiden ride out with the gang and took on my own personal moniker, Lady Valkyrie. When we returned I was gifted with my own vest and my first biker tattoo. That was a year before Crispin was born."

"In about a year, as long as Jo keeps her grades up and stays out of mischief, it will be her turn to build her own bike and believe me, she's very excited to begin. There is a lot more to the whole rite and tradition, but that's the short version. For now, she rides behind me and the others ride with Rory and Regina. They should be here pretty soon."

Hearing those two names together reminded her of the other reason she'd come. "Oh thank goodness you said that. I did need to speak to them about some rather urgent business. There is a demon coming to Hogwarts, I need someone who's not under the thumb of the ministry to help us out."

"What has happened? Is everything okay?"

Minerva sighed. "I suppose this is the safest place to speak of these things. We should wait till they get here. The least I can say is that it involves Lily's son."

That made the mother sit up straighter. "Her son. Is he ok?"

"He's alive and well, to a point... Maybe now that you're here, something could be done to improve things for him. Lilly and James are gone, whatever Severus does must be done without the headmaster's notice which is something only a Slytherin could achieve. But even that is limited to care packages and nutrient potions and all under a false name."

Cassy nodded deep in thought. "Yes, you have my help. But first, I need to settle my kids in. Now that they have their letters, we have a shopping trip to take, this will be their first time being in a magical community. They'll need to get all new clothes and school supplies…and also, their wands and that is something every witch and wizard looks forward to."

"Well, that sounds like a splendid idea; this should prove to be an interesting day."

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait too much longer till the rest of their entourage arrived. When they were seated comfortably, Minerva spoke up. "Rory, would you be as kind as to cast a ward about this room? I'd do it myself, but I never know who is watching me."

Rory gave her a look, but did as she asked. The ward he cast would allow them to speak without being heard.

When he put his wand back in the sheath, he looked towards McGonagall again. "The wards are up, go ahead and speak freely."

"Thank you Rory. There _is_ a reason for all this secrecy. As I'm sure you and Regina have noticed from the latest issue of the Daily Prophet, our dear Minister has gone 'round the bend. He's extremely paranoid and he strongly suspects our head master of treachery and by association, myself. He's been using the papers to smudge both Dumbledore and even Mr. Potter. After revealing what is in the works, Dumbledore asked to be obliviated, so that means that we are on our own."

She told them all in stark detail about everything.

When the story had been told in full, Rory and Regina were nodding. That's not surprising after that boy, Cedric Diggory was killed last year. Fiona told us everything she'd witnessed as she was in the stands when it happened. It was a really tragic thing to happen to a boy who'd just reached his majority." He paused and continued. "You know, if you want a spy of sorts, you could set one of us up as a teacher, say for your muggle studies class. That way, if things go as bad as you fear, there's a shield that can intervene."

McGonagall was nodding, "That sounds like a splendid idea. Are you volunteering?"

Rory shook his head. "No, not me or Regina, unless things really go south, but Cassandra would be perfect."

Cassy looked at her cousin. "You think so, do you?"

"Absolutely. You've spent the last 14 years among the Muggles, you're not a known alumni of Hogwarts, no one knows your true identity and you're one person just rebellious enough to stand up to a bully."

Cassy nodded. "This is true." She paused and turned to her children; specifically to Jo. "Are you okay with me taking up this teaching position? There is a lot involved with taking on this kind of job."

Jo nodded. "This isn't new for us, Mom. You took on that protection job with that Aunt Sammie last summer, this would be even more dangerous than protecting that little girl from her abusive mother and you took out that jerk before she could get within a hundred feet of the apartment. This would be nothing for you. Not to mention that these people don't have guns to point at you."

Cassy gave her daughter a small smile. "True, but these people have something more dangerous. Magic, if used the wrong way, can be even worse than a gun." Cassy paused and sighed. "Still, I was a pretty good in dueling when I was a student. I'd be pretty rusty at it after all this time, but let me brush up on my skills and I'll be in top form again."

"Oh, don't be so modest, dear," Regina chastised her friend. "You won that dueling competition during 7th year and all but plastered Madeline's arse to the wall. James Potter lived in fear after that incident in our 5th year."

Cassy sighed in resignation. "Alright. You've got a new Muggle Studies teacher then. May God have mercy upon your soul."

Minerva grinned at her and signaled Rory to cancel the ward and rose to leave. "Splendid, I'll see you all on the September first. Should you need anything, please don't hesitate to owl me."

Cassy snapped her fingers. "Oh that does remind me, I'll need to purchase an owl for this family. I'll just have to add on a trip to the emporium to our list of supplies."

"Excellent, well. I will leave you to your shopping trip. Have a splendid afternoon!"

"Thank you Professor. We will see you at school!"

Without another word, Professor McGonagall, left the hotel room and vanished around the corner.

When she was gone, Cassy turned to her kids. "So, now that you have your letters, we've got some major shopping to do!

"Okay, Mom? I'm super confused by what just happened here…can you translate all that witch speak for me? What does it mean to oblivaite? And what is the Minister for Magic? And are there going to be more freaky creatures showing up?

Cassy smiled and sat down next to her on the bed. "Yes, to quote Aladdin, 'It's a whole new world.' The house elf is just one species that exists in the wizarding world. There's unicorns, acrumantulas, basaliks, hyppogriphs thestrals and dragons, and ghosts. The Minister for Magic, is like the President of the United States, he over-sees the wizarding world. He's an elected official and runs the entire ministry…or the government. And finally, what Madame McGonagall meant by the headmaster asking to be obliviated was that he asked to have all memory of the meeting he held and all talk of this evil woman coming to the school to be erased from his memory. It's a very smart idea to be honest. We have a few methods for forcing the truth from somebody. There's the worst sort of method, Legilimens which is a magical ability to force yourself into another's memory and take what information can be gleaned, and the other method that I know of is by giving the victim Viritaserum or in layman's terms, truth serum. It's usually the method used on suspected criminals, like the worse sort of criminal. It's a very advanced potion to make and pretty difficult to get right.

By asking another professor to obliviate him, he won't be able to reveal anything should he be arrested for any reason at least not about this evil woman."

"Wow, you'll make an excellent teacher." Rory said breaking into the mini lecture. Regina and I came to tell you that we've secured some temporary housing for you guys to stay in until school starts. After we get through shopping we'll be heading over to Ottery St. Catchpole; it's a magical community with lots of people of all ages."

Cassy looked up at them with an astonished expression. "You…you got us a house?"

Regina smiled at her. "Yeah, we took some serious notes when we were back packing abroad. Our wizard teen clothing shop is making a killing! Myst'n'Magic clothing shop is a very popular shop amongst the teenagers. Trust me, Cassy, we can afford a small cottage."

Cassy was speechless and felt tears welling up. "Thank you ever so much."

"Eh, don't mention it, we'll get you settled in before you know it." Rory stated as he put his arm around his cousin. So, let's get going before the water works start up. Remus will be getting to Diagon Alley soon to help set up shop. Though she usually gets her clothes from the shop, we decided to let her do her school shopping when you guys go today. At the mention of Fiona, the only daughter of Rory and Regina, Jo's smiled brightly at them. "Awesome! It's been so long since I last saw Fiona!"

Cassy had been assisting her son with his shoes, as Noel had been having some trouble with them. But now she looked up sharply at Regina. "Remus, as in Remus Lupin? I didn't know he worked with you guys!"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, though he wears a glamour when he does. His werewolf status keeps him from getting a job anywhere, so we hired him. He's pretty happy working with us too. No one knows his real identity."

"You mean there are werewolves here too?"

Rory nodded. "Yes there are, though Remus is the only one of his kind that is fit to be around humans. He's a wonderfully laid back gentleman and pretty quiet. He might also be one of the best defense professors Hogwarts ever had. Sadly, his lycanthropy became common knowledge and he was forced from his position, still, he'd make a very good tutor for you. We might ask him later on."

Cassy looked at her cousin, "So, I take it that Severus finally figured out how to brew the Wolfs bane potion?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, and it works even better than what you would find a St. Mongos. And then, after the curse has run its course, he takes a potion regimen set up by Severus and he's back to his charming self within a couple of days."

Though she hadn't seen her love in years, Cassy felt pride well up inside her.

Rory gave her a knowing glance but said nothing more about it. Instead, he took Regina's hand and said in a jovial voice

"This is going to be awesome!" Crispin agreed as he went in search of his shoes.

Cassy shook her head and then frowned when she noticed Noel sitting quietly by himself with his trainers by his feet. He'd always had trouble with his shoe laces. She knelt in front of him and helped him with his shoes. As she tightened his laces, she spoke to Rory.

"Well, before anyone goes shopping, we'll need to make a trip to Gringotts to exchange our Euros for Galleons." She paused and looked at Rory again.

"In fact, think it might be a good idea if Crispin and Noel stay with you guys while I take Jo with me inside the bank. She looked at her daughter again. "The bank is run by more magical creatures…goblins and it might be too much of a sensory overload for your brother."

"Goblins? Like Jareth?" Jo asked with a grin on her face.

Cassy chuckled. "Oh if only. Unfortunately, it's run by real goblins. They're not the friendliest, but with the way they run the bank, we'll never have to worry about a robbery." She'd finished tying the shoelaces and now stood to her feet looking at her daughter. You're going to be learning a lot today. There may come a time when I need you to floo to Gringotts for me."

"Floo, that means to travel by fireplace?" Crispin asked.

Cassie grinned at him. "Yes, that's exactly right. But we won't be using the floo just yet. We're within walking distance of Diagon Ally, it's time for a brisk morning stroll!"

Rory looked at his wife, "That sounds like a plan to me. We'll go conceal the bikes and then breakfast is on me!"


End file.
